Liar's Lips Fall Apart in Love - Volume 1 Chapter 1.8

The Spring When I Met You 8

“Why Sagara?”

That’s what the stares of the men seemed to say, piercing my skin.

Kinami, who had been sitting in front of me, was looking this way with his eyes wide as saucers.

Give me a break, I want to stand out as little as possible… Or rather, don’t call out to someone like me in such a place.

“I’m starving! I think I can eat a lot right now.”

Nanase is laughing innocently, unaware of my feelings. Her smile was like the sun, brightening everything around her. It’s too dazzling for me to look at directly.

Resigning myself, I stood up and left the seminar room, looking down.

As we walked and the stares of acquaintances faded, I felt somewhat relieved. Nanase also seemed to relax, letting out a sigh of relief.

While looking at her perfectly arranged profile, I said,

“…You’ve really changed a lot, Nanase.”

“I worked hard, you know. I learned all about makeup and fashion desperately, and even lost five kilos with dieting. My New Year’s money vanished in a flash.”

“Why go to all that effort?”

“I wanted a rosy college life!”

Nanase’s eyes sparkled as she said that. I responded with a deflated “Huh”…

…A rosy college life, huh.

“I want to make lots of friends and have fun to the fullest! Oh, and maybe get a wonderful boyfriend too!”

Unfortunately, I have absolutely no interest in such things. In fact, I even consider them a nuisance. But for the girl in front of me, those were things worth expending great effort to obtain.

“Then you should’ve joined a club or something.”

As far as I know, Nanase hasn’t joined any clubs or teams. When I think of the glittering, sunny-type people, I imagine them belonging to clubs and spending every night out playing. It’s a total prejudice, though.

At my words, Nanase gave a slightly troubled smile.

“…Yeah, maybe I should’ve, huh?”

“Well, yeah. Maybe you should.”

What is there to even worry about? If she really wants a rosy college life, she should broaden her horizons.

She shouldn’t be wasting her time with a dull guy like me.

Once we leave the university through the East Gate, we reach a quiet residential area.

After walking for about five minutes while pushing our bicycles, Nanase stopped and said,

“Here it is!”

Looking up, I saw a dark blue noren with “Kaifuutei” written on it. It seemed to be a set meal restaurant.

“You can get a set meal for six hundred yen, and rice and miso soup are all-you-can-eat!”

Nanase said with excitement as we passed under the noren and opened the somewhat ill-fitting sliding door.

The shop was small with only a counter and two two-seater tables. We could see other customers who seemed to be university students like us. An older couple appeared to be running the place.

We sat down facing each other at a two-seater table, and the server came to take our order. I ordered the chicken katsu set meal, and Nanase ordered the daily special, a mackerel miso set meal.

“Do you like chicken katsu?”

“It’s okay. If there had been a fried chicken set meal, I would have chosen that.”

“Oh, you like fried chicken!”

“Not really…”

“Fried chicken set meals are on Wednesdays. So, let’s come back on Wednesday!”

Nanase said that after looking at the menu, and I was at a loss for a reply. Does she think there will be a next time? As for me, I’d like to decline forever.

While I remained silent, the chicken katsu set meal and the mackerel miso set meal arrived. It came with the main dish, miso soup, rice, and a salad.

The freshly fried chicken katsu was rather delicious. I felt it lacked variety, but for six hundred yen, the cost-performance was excellent.

I’d come again when I have more financial leeway.

After finishing the salad, I alternated between eating the chicken katsu and rice while looking at Nanase across from me. Nanase had a beautiful way of holding her chopsticks.

The way she delicately flaked the mackerel and brought it to her mouth was enchanting, and I found myself staring.

However, the current her felt somewhat out of place in this setting.

“…It’s kind of surprising.”

“What is?”

“I thought you’d take me to a different kind of place. Something more… Instagrammable.”

Although I think this is a good, affordable, delicious restaurant, it’s not the type of place that the glittering girls Nanase admires would choose to go to.

It’s not a stylish cafe or Italian restaurant, which seems more up her alley.

Of course, if she had taken me to such a place, I might have fainted from discomfort.

At my words, Nanase put down her chopsticks and replied,

“I love places that are Instagrammable too. I went to one for the first time after entering university, and it was really fun. But, sometimes… it’s tiring, or something…”

“Why?”

“Maybe it’s that I’ve changed, but in the end, I haven’t really changed that much…”

Nanase looked down powerlessly and sighed.

“…Sagara-kun. Earlier, you asked me if I wasn’t going to join any circles, right?”

Nanase continued to stare down into her glass of cold water, and after a moment of silence, she began to speak as if muttering.

“I joined right after enrollment, you know. I tried really hard, thinking I’d make friends at the tennis circle’s welcoming party. …But it was no good,”

Nanase let out a deep sigh.

“The seniors and my classmates, everyone around was so bright and fun. I felt intimidated… Thinking that I really shouldn’t be there, that i wasn’t able to speak to anyone.”